“Powerful sermon, Pastor. Thank you!”
I wonder how many times this sentence has been stated and the one declaring it had no idea if what they’d heard was actually good preaching or not.
Do you know good preaching when you hear it?
What or who determines if the preaching is good or not?
Is there a checklist we can download?
There are probably a few on the internet, but Pastor Tim McCoy of Ingleside Baptist Church in Macon, GA bypasses the internet and directs us straight to God’s Word for the answer.
Pastor McCoy gave me permission to share his article on my website so we could all learn what the apostle Paul says to Timothy about good preaching.
After you’re done reading the article, I highly recommend subscribing to Pastor McCoy’s: “A Chapter a Day.” I save each one in a folder and read them either that day and/or when I’m reading through the book of the Bible he’s discussing.
Powerful wisdom, Pastor Tim. Thank you!
2 Timothy 4: Do You Know Good Preaching When You Heart It?
 Tuesday, January 5, 2021 Today’s chapter is 2 Timothy 4. Do you know good preaching when you hear it? In our chapter today, when the Apostle Paul gives young Timothy a final charge, he is also giving us a great guide to evaluate what we hear from the pulpit. Good preaching is Bible preaching. Paul exhorts Timothy, “preach the word” (v 2a, ESV). Good preaching is always filled with the truth of Scripture. Whether verse-by-verse (exposition, like a biblical commentary) or verse-with-verse (topical, like a systematic theology), the Bible should be central, not peripheral. If the word is not primary, no matter what else it is (entertaining, inspiring, etc.), it is not good preaching. The personality and experiences of the preacher should always be subordinate to Scripture. The power is in God’s word! (cf. Hebrews 4:12). Good preaching is consistent. Paul says that Timothy should “be ready in season and out of season” (v. 2b, ESV). The preacher should be faithful to the gospel “whether the time is favorable or not” (v. 2b, NLT). “By these words [Paul] recommends not only constancy,’ writes John Calvin, “but likewise earnestness, so as to overcome all hindrances and difficulties” (Commentary on 2 Timothy). Week by week, month by month, year by year, in good times and in tough times, when the cultural winds are favorable and when they are not, good preaching is persistent and consistent. Good preaching has a variety of voices. Depending on the text, the topic, and the times, good preaching will “reprove, rebuke, and exhort” (v. 2c, ESV). Sometimes it confronts; but at other times it comforts. Sometimes it challenges; but at other times it encourages. Sometimes it’s tough; other times it’s tender. Over time, good preaching should have tones and textures as variable as the Scripture itself. Good preaching has a patient spirit. Indeed, the Apostle Paul says it should be characterized by “complete patience” (v. 2d, ESV). Good preaching will have a winsome urgency, but it will not be angry, irritable, or exasperated. It is never retaliatory or out for revenge. Instead, its tone is hopeful, helpful, and continues to believe the best about those who listen. The truth is that we rarely hear well from someone who seems to have already written us off. We all hear better from those who are for us, with us, and believe our best is yet ahead. Good preaching is filled with “teaching” (v. 2e, ESV). It is doctrinally sound, theologically robust, and filled with practical application and instruction. It connects the truth of the Bible with how we should live today. Good preaching is courageous. The time has already come when many “people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth” (vv. 3-4a, ESV). The pressure is increasing these days for pastors to accommodate and validate perspectives and practices which Scripture teaches are sinful. Against this backdrop, good preaching must be unflinching in its declaration of the truth of God’s Word—even when some hearers choose to depart and when the cultural blowback is significant. Good preaching does not conform to the spirit of the age. God honors and we benefit from bold, courageous, convictional preaching! We all get to choose the preaching we listen to regularly. So, make sure that the preaching you sit under measures up to the standards outlined above. And, pray for your pastor – that his preaching would be true to the Word and filled with spiritual power. He will benefit from your prayers . . . and you will too! Encouragement to finish well. As the Apostle Paul neared the end of his earthly journey, he said: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” (2 Timothy 4:7, ESV). In other words, he was saying: “By God’s grace, I am finishing well!” The longer I live, that’s my desire. I’m asking the Lord for grace to stay in the fight, to run through the tape, and to keep the faith all the way to the end. Perhaps it should be your prayer today too – especially if you are in the fourth quarter of your life. Ask the Father to help you finish well! Here’s another link to 2 Timothy 4. If you are benefiting from reading “A Chapter a Day,” forward this email to someone you love and invite them to join us. They can sign up by clicking here. Thank you for abiding in the word with me – a chapter a day!  Lead Pastor Ingleside Baptist Church Macon, Georgia Making disciples of Jesus Christ for the glory of God |
